Best programs to become a farm equipment mechanic in Minnesota
3 Minnesota schools offer programs that train farm equipment mechanics and service technicians, graduating 19 people a year. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians in Minnesota earn a median of $58,040 across about 1,620 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
You do not need a college degree to become a farm equipment mechanic. The field of study that leads most directly to this job in Minnesota is Agricultural Mechanization (IPEDS completions). BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul farm machinery and vehicles, such as tractors, harvesters, dairy equipment, and irrigation.
3 programs in Minnesota that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Minnesota (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Minnesota page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 01.0205In Minnesota → | 12 | 63.2% | 2 | $54,138 | $18,912 |
| 2 | CIP 01.0201In Minnesota → | 5 | 26.3% | 2 | $54,138 | $18,912 |
| 3 | CIP 01.0204In Minnesota → | 2 | 10.5% | 1 | $54,138 | $18,912 |
Top 3 schools in Minnesota
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 0 of the 3 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Central College North Mankato, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 12 | Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology/Technician | — | 39% | — | — |
| 2 | Ridgewater College Willmar, MN Public · 1 feeder program | 6 | Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology/Technician | — | 50% | — | — |
| 3 | University of Minnesota - Crookston Crookston, MN Public · 1 feeder program | 1 | Agricultural Mechanization, General | — | 50% | — | 88% |
All 3 schools in Minnesota
Every school in Minnesota with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Central College | North Mankato | Public | 12 | 3 |
| Ridgewater College | Willmar | Public | 6 | 1 |
| University of Minnesota - Crookston | Crookston | Public | 1 | 1 |
Fields of study in Minnesota that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
What farm equipment mechanics and service technicians earn in Minnesota
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $56,550. Minnesota pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: Minnesota employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Minnesota
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians page.
How to become a farm equipment mechanic
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Minnesota
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0201Agricultural Mechanization, General
- 01.0204Agricultural Power Machinery Operation
- 01.0205Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology/Technician
- 01.0207Irrigation Management Technology/Technician(no graduates reported)
- 01.0299Agricultural Mechanization, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing farm equipment mechanics and service technicians programs in Minnesota.
What degree do you need to become a farm equipment mechanic?+
You do not need a college degree to become a farm equipment mechanic. The field of study that leads most directly to this job in Minnesota is Agricultural Mechanization (IPEDS completions). BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
Which college majors lead to becoming a farm equipment mechanic?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job in Minnesota is Agricultural Mechanization (IPEDS completions). In all, 3 feeder programs graduate about 19 people a year in Minnesota (IPEDS completions).
How much do farm equipment mechanics and service technicians earn in Minnesota?+
The median is $58,040 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.6% above the U.S. median of $56,550. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for farm equipment mechanics and service technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +11.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 3,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Minnesota?+
3 institutions in Minnesota reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do farm equipment mechanics and service technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Mechanic, Tractor Mechanic, Farm Equipment Mechanic, Service Technician (Service Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-3041.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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